Kurdish Women’s Labour

By Solin Hacador: Kurdistan Tribune – 30.9.2013 – ‘Kurdish Women’s Labour’ (‘Keda Jinê’ in Kurdish) was set up to support poor women in Amed. The little shop of Kurdish women in Derîyê Mêrdînê (The Mardin Door) of Amed, Northern Kurdistan, next to the Kervan Saray Hotel, is selling its handmade products.

The shop was opened in May 2013 with the support of Diyarbakir Sur councillor, Mr. Abdullah Demirtas, who is doing his best to help poor women get professions. This project has changed so many women’s lives. Now many of them are considered the primary income earners in their homes.

Women’s shop in AmedKurdish women trainees who work within the KADEM (Women Support Centre) are mostly Mothers for Peace Initiative activists. The handmade products are based on Kurdish national clothing, jewellery, handcraft gifts, etc. The products offered for sale attract the attention of other women and tourists.

Each product is handmade and packaged by motivated program participants. All proceeds are used to support programming for unskilled-poor women and to place participants into quality, permanent employment.

Throughout the course of a month, each participant is paid a certain amount for every single product. In other words, they receive a percentage of the sale of that item before it’s even sold, but the amount depends on the item. This ensures that workers are paid throughout the month.Their handmade gifts are especially meaningful, because buying products made by women in impoverished countries is one of the best methods to reduce poverty and to create prosperity for women, families, and communities.

Women bear almost all the responsibility for meeting the basic needs of the family, yet they are systematically denied the The shopresources, information and freedom of action they need to fulfil this. The vast majority of the world’s poor are women. Two-thirds of the world’s illiterates are female. In this sense, I am honoured and delighted to know that Kurdish women are doing well in the capital city of Kurdistan. I hope this kind of project continues and that Kurdish women get more rights and are treated in a dignified way.